Friday, January 24, 2014

Using the Metronome in OnSong is easy and once you understand how to set it up, it sits at the ready in the Live Bar. Let's not sugar-coat it, some musicians need a metronome and some don't. If you are learning a new song, don't have a drummer, have no rhythm, or just really like metronomes, we don't judge, OnSong gives you a fully functioning metronome to keep track of the beat. Customize your metronome by adjusting the beats-per-minute (BPM), time signature, sound effects, and more. In this Metronome Tutorial, Brandon takes you through all the features and how to set them up in OnSong.

The National Association of Music Manufacturers annual conference is going on now (January 23 - 26, 2014) in Anaheim, California and OnSong partnered up with AirTurn to exhibit at the massive Expo. While Jason gives demos of OnSong and networks with other manufacturers who will want to integrate their products with OnSong, Brandon will be filming the entire experience and interviewing show participants. We'll post the video when they get back, but for now, check out a couple of the photos and video from the first few days.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

When Low Light Mode is enabled in OnSong the background is black and the words are white. This feature is great for live performances where the stage lights are dimmed and the regular bright white background might be distracting. It's one of those really useful and cool features of OnSong that you might not know about unless you go exploring deep into the settings menu. For OnSong 2.0 and the Android version, features like this will be just under the surface and easier to access. For now, this great tutorial by Brandon explains how to turn the Low Light Mode On and Off, plus reversing the menu scheme for better low light viewing as well.

Monday, January 20, 2014

The Android version of OnSong is one major step closer to completion with the addition of OnSong Connect. The older versions of OnSong had OnCue only, which used an old Apple technology to link OnSong user devices together with Bluetooth, however this was completely incompatible with Android. OnCue was also unstable and dropped out in a crowded room, which is basically anywhere bands play. Now with the releases of OnSong 1.98 (fixes and new features) and 1.981(fixes the fixes) we've developed an API that allows devices running OnSong to connect to each other using WiFi instead. One device works as a server (master) and the other devices running OnSong Connect can be controlled by the original. The newer technology not only creates faster, more stable connections between you and your band, but allows access from multiple platforms. That means that OnSong Connect enables iOS devices to talk to Android, Windows, Mac, and more. This is a major step in the continued development of the Android version of OnSong in the near future.
OnSong for Android has been a priority for us for a long time, but the truth is, we are a small startup, and with that come challenges. When our lead Android contractor fell through recently we were forced to take Android development in-house. Next, the release of iOS 7 created major instability in older devices and our programmers were forced to deal with bugs instead of developing the Android version of OnSong. These aren't meant to be excuses, but just keeping you all updated on the challenges we face as we press on to deliver you the best software possible. The good news is that OnSong v1.981 seems stable, OnSong Connect is running, and we can concentrate all our energy on getting the Android version up and running as soon as possible. We also want to let you know that the OnSong 2.0 and Android versions will have a very similar look and feel, with a faster, more intuitive user interface. While our developers are crunching on Android the rest of us will continue to provide awesome (and FREE!) support, new video tutorials, and new updated OnSong website with upgraded store.